Extra Cargo: The Epilogue
by MissGuenever
Summary: The epilogue to Extra Cargo. Well, some of my ideas for the epilogue. I haven't figured out how to end or continue my story, so these are some of the possibilities. They won't make sense unless you read Extra Cargo first; which I recommend - because it is a great story! It's an awesome story!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I've been pondering an epilogue for Extra Cargo for a while now. And have come up with several possibilities, so I'm going to post all of the epilogues that I write and hope that one pops out as "the one." **Ashleyder1**, **BrowncoatInTheStars**, **Countrygirl83**, **ermintrude421**, **The Frisky Firelily**, **gaben**, **jane0904**, **JasmineOotori1313**, **ksirrah**, **michelann**, **PowerStealerRogue**, **RionaEire**, **Skyrunner70**, and everyone else that has followed, and reviewed Extra Cargo. You all mean the world to me!

**Extra Cargo. The Epilogue:**

Time had passed. In some ways too much, and in other ways not enough. So much had happened. Mal stared the little tin in his desk drawer, and then up at the seam on the wall of his berthing area. After Caroline had died he'd put most of her things into her little painted bunk and welded the doors shut; the constant reminders had just been too much.

He'd spent the better part of a week in a bottle, letting Zoë handle everything. More often or not Jayne had been with him; he'd cried more in that week than he ever had. He'd been jerked back to reality by his second-in-command who had threatened to leave and take the pilot if he didn't get it together.

And now… he stared at the little tin box and thought about the events that had happened. Had he made the right choice? Should they have put her next to Wash, Book, and Mr Universe? Would it have given her peace? Zaogao, damn it; would it have given him peace?

He closed his eyes for a second and thought about everything that had brought him here, to this point. Caroline, the Tam's, Miranda, the operative, …

Which made him think of his mother and Shadow. There was a saying she used to have.

_If wishes were horses beggars would ride._

Wishin' wasn't going to make anything happen. Wasn't goin' ta change a gorram thing. Ma always used to say "If wishes were horses…" to him when he was wishin' that he didn't have to do chores or somthin' like that.

With one last look at plain metal box, slammed the drawer shut. He'd made the right choice. He'd bury Caroline next to his mother. Next to his mother on Shadow; it was only right that family was together. Until then, she'd stay here. And Buddha only knew when they'd get out that way again. It wasn't like anyone lived on Shadow anymore. Not since the war.

"If wishes were horses Beggars would ride." He muttered to himself as he got up from his chair and headed for the galley for a cup of coffee.

Zaogao—Damn it


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Ack, the ideas won't stop… I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. **Gaben**, and **RionaEire** thank you so much for the reviews! It really means a lot to me that you take them time to write one. And Gaben, thanks so much for being an amazing beta.

**Epilogue: Version 2**

Mal stood at the bottom of Serenity's ramp wearing his good suit. Surprisingly he had a lot of memories in this suit. For most people a suit like this wouldn't be a big deal; it wasn't fancy: Black pants, black jacket, and a deep red floppy tie. Inara had a local tailor make waistcoats for all the men in the wedding so that everyone had something that at least kind of matched.

Taking a deep breath he looked over at Jayne who was wearing a brand new suit that Kaylee had picked up from the tailor two days earlier. His suit was cut much more loosely, the amount of whining he'd done when Shi Gong ning, the tailor had tried to make the suit more formfitting.

"Jayne."

"What?" The mercenary growled as he fiddled with his own collar.

"Stop." He gestured at Jayne's tie. "You'll screw it up; and they'll be more pissed than a gorram wet cat." Serenity's captain gestured at the back of cargo bay of the Firefly class ship when he could just see Kaylee in her new purple dress. It had layers of ruffles and swished when she moved. There were little bits of gold in it that coordinated with Inara's gold dress, and the slinky thing that Zoë was wearing. Wash's face when he'd seen his wife's dress for the first time had been priceless; but, then he'd always loved her in super slinky things.

Jayne craned his head around and saw Kaylee give them a thumbs up from the door which lead into common area and crew quarters. "Looks like they're ready."

"Let's get this show on the road." Mal nodded at Shepard book who was standing a distance away on a low platform and turned to see his nǚ hair, daughter. The Shepard's nod and very broad smile alerted him to the presence in the doorway. What he saw made his jaw just drop! Caroline, his bao bei, precious, daughter.

"Wo de ma! Mother of God! Jayne managed to stutter out as the little girl that they'd all raised came out of the door from the common area. She was dressed in a long simple white dress. Inara had found the silk on a milk run a couple of months earlier, in the dim light, she seemed to glow. The five women had sewn the dress in the evenings, like Serenity nothing quite matched; but, it was truly a reflection of all of them. The lace veil which covered her long light brown hair glowed in the soft light of the cargo bay. The crystal pins which Zoe had found, well taken during a heist a couple of years earlier held Caroline's veil, which was another long story. And this wasn't the place to tell it; even if it was gorram funny!.

Caroline glided gracefully up between her father and the man who was essentially her father – her fathers. She smiled to herself; all those years of lessons with Inara, and dancing with River had paid off. She hadn't tripped over the threshold between the common area and the cargo bay; she wasn't catching her shiny white heels in the grating on the floor.

"Ready sweetheart, air en?" Mal looked at his daughter, who was almost as tall as he was in her heels. He could see her mother, Golensa, in her, and knew that she would be so proud of her. There was music drifting over from where everyone was sitting; it was a haunting tune, something River had come up with.

"Ready as I'll ever be, ba, dad." Caroline smiled up at her father and turned to the hulking mercenary. "My Jayne?"

"Nope." He said bluntly. "But, don't got no choice. You heard the Cap'n. Let's get this show on the gorram road."

Slowly the three of them started down the ramp towards the future.

The three of them slowly walked into the open field and towards the bower which was covered in wild flowers. They walked towards Shepard Book who was smiling and holding his bible.

"Cap'n. Cap'n." Zoë was saying something.

Mal ignored her. Walking his all grown up little girl down the aisle to her soon-to-be-husband was the most important thing right now.

"Cap'n. Captain." His first mate's voice was more insistent.

"What?" Mal snapped, still hearing the music; but, realizing that he wasn't walking Caroline down the aisle to her fiancée. Instead he'd been sleeping in Wash's old chair on the bridge of Serenity.

"You were talking in your sleep." Zoë arched an eyebrow. "Something about crystals, satin, and lace?"

At combination of his glare and the deep sadness in his eyes, she dropped the topic. "We're about to land."

"I'm going to get a cup of coffee." Mal stood feeling the achiness of his joints from sleeping in the odd position. "The lil' Albatross can land her."

"Shia, affirmative." Zoe watched Mal's retreating figure and just looked for a minute at the stars, and the dinosaurs, the dinosaurs that stood watch.

Mal slid down the ladder into his berthing area. He walked past the mirror rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and the dream that should have been more than a dream. He sat down heavily at his desk and looked down at the capture that Kaylee had taken one day. It showed Caroline in mid-air leaping from Jayne's shoulder's into his arms. It had just about given him a heart attack!

The last couple of years had taken a lot out of all of them. Zoë'd lost her husband, the crew had lost their Shepard, and Mal had lost his daughter. A lot had changed.

Bao bei - precious/treasure

Nǚ hair – Daughter

Xin gan/ai ren – sweetheart


End file.
